Formula 1 hands down verdict after Oscar Piastri investigation

Oscar Piastri has learned his fate after an investigation into his McLaren team was launched following ugly accusations.

Oscar Piastri and his McLaren team have been cleared of any wrongdoing after an FIA investigation into the team’s rocketship.

The Australian driver and teammate Lando Norris blew the rest of the field away to win by more than 30 seconds in a dominant 1-2 finish at the Miami Grand Prix.

Drama unfolded after the race when Red Bull boss Christian Horner appeared to suggest his championship rival has been using a dodgy tactic to gain an advantage over the rest of the grid.

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The team principal has on several occasions publicly questioned the legality of McLaren’s rear brake design.

McLaren’s ability to better manage rear tyre temperatures on the MCL39 (the team’s car for the 2025 season) has been the envy of the grid this season.

There has been ongoing speculation that McLaren’s success is the result of a secret system that cools the outer surface of its rear brake drum.

Horner last year went public with his suspicions McLaren were injecting water into its Pirelli tyres and he doubled down on it in Miami earlier this month.

However, the FIA, Formula 1’s governing body, on Friday released a technical delegate’s report to show McLaren had not violated any rules or regulations.

“After the race in Miami, car No. 81 (Piastri) was randomly chosen among the ten cars for more extensive physical inspections,” the report stated, per skysports.com.

“Subject to these physical inspections were the wheel bodywork assemblies.

“The following checks were carried out on all corners: “The compliance of all components with TR Article 3.13. Physical checks for compliance with TR Article 11.5 on all four corners.

“All inspected components were found to be in conformance with the 2025 Formula One Technical Regulations.”

Article 11.5 specifically states any liquid cooling of brakes is forbidden.

Oscar Piastri (left) and Zak Brown sipping his "tire water" (right).

Pirelli and the FIA also reviewed Piastri’s McLaren at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix and found no wrongdoing.

It might not be enough to shut Horner’s mouth.

While Horner did not make an official protest at the Miami Grand Prix, he did put the spotlight on the issue by sharing his suspicions.

Auto Motor und Sport even reported Red Bull sourced thermal images to show cold spots on the MCL39 rear brake drums.

McLaren boss Zak Brown and Horner have traded friendly verbal barbs in recent months and the American took things to another level with a cheeky swipe at Horner during the Miami Grand Prix.

Brown was spotted at the McLaren pit wall drinking from a water bottle that was labelled “tire water”.

Piastri not feeling the heat ahead of Imola

Series leader Piastri said he is not getting carried away about his championship hopes, despite winning four of the opening six races of the season.

The 24-year-old has opened up a 16-point lead ahead of teammate Norris in the drivers’ title race, and heads into this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as the man to beat.

“I think with the hotter temperatures there and given some of the sessions we’d had earlier in the season, we thought it might play more to our strengths — and I think Sunday proved that,” he said.

McLaren’s dominance is all thanks to one thing. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The internal design of the brake drum is the secret.

“I’m not expecting that to be the case every weekend!

“I would love it to be the case, but I think with those hotter conditions and that circuit characteristic — I think it will be difficult for us to repeat that result consistently.”

Speaking at an official news conference, he added: “We’ve got very soft tyres this weekend, so maybe that will help us, but it’s obviously a lot cooler than it was in Miami. The track is also incredibly different — much bumpier and much higher speed in general.

“I expect the competition to be closer than it was in Miami. We saw in qualifying that the competition was on our heels and ahead of us.”

Mercedes’ teenage Italian driver Kimi Antonelli took pole for the sprint race and four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull took pole for the Grand Prix.

“We still have to make sure we go out and execute everything as well as we can because if we falter a little bit, we’ve got plenty of competition that can beat us.”

After six ‘flyaway’ races, the F1 circus will race in the first European race of the year and the first of a triple-header on Sunday with Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari hoping to reduce McLaren’s 105 points lead.

Oscar Piastri celebrates after the Miami Grand Prix. Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images/AFP.

For Piastri it represents a stiff test of his world championship credentials after winning four of the opening six races.

Asked how much he is enjoying his success, the unflappable Australian said: “It’s pretty hard to say that I’m not, when you’ve won four out of six. It’s been a great start to the year, obviously.

“I’ve been enjoying the success we’re having on track, but I think, for me, what’s been very satisfying is all the work we’ve done behind the scenes to achieve that.

“It’s quite a different feeling when you win a race because you feel like you’ve just got by or you had good circumstances.

“But to be winning now because we have an incredibly quick car and I feel like I’m driving well that’s very satisfying for me.”

His weekend began with a bonus when he collected the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy awarded for ‘commendable performance’ in 2024 when he helped McLaren claim the constructors’ championship.

The award is made by a panel of 12 former F1 staff and journalists and made each year on the eve of the Imola weekend.

— with AFP

Originally published as Formula 1 hands down verdict after Oscar Piastri investigation